House panel defies Bush, votes for subpoenas … WASHINGTON (CNN) — House Democrats voted Wednesday to give their leaders the authority to force White House officials to testify on the firings of U.S. attorneys.  —  The House Judiciary subcommittee vote was to authorize subpoenas.

An Email in The Gap  —  As Josh noted and The Politico reported last night, there appeared to be an 18-day gap in the emails released by the Justice Department Monday night, a gap right after Alberto Gonzales' chief of staff Kyle Sampson said that they should run the purge plan by the White House and Karl Rove in particular.

A second set of emails from the gap.  —  We've tracked down another set of emails during the 18-day gap (available HERE) between Kyle Sampson and Brent Ward, the head of the federal obscenity task force.  In the emails, Ward complains about resistance from several U.S. Attorneys …

VIDEO: Former Reagan U.S. Attorney Blasts Administration Over Purge  —  As Atrios noted, former Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA), who served as a U.S. Attorney under President Reagan, appeared today on CNN.  —  Barr blasted the White House, saying "the integrity of the Department of Justice is being used …

E-mail complaints show Ward's frustration with smut campaign  —  WASHINGTON - In a frank e-mail exchange, Brent Ward complained to senior Justice Department officials about resistance from several U.S. Attorneys to prosecuting obscenity cases.  —  Those complaints apparently contributed to the later …

Our Statement On The 1984 Video  —  Statement from Thomas Gensemer, Managing Director, Blue State Digital  —  This afternoon, an employee at our firm, Phillip de Vellis, received a call from Arianna Huffington of "The Huffington Post" regarding the "1984" video currently circulating online.

In Praise of Susan Estrich, and In Memory of the Loss of Cathy  —  We lost Cathy at 2:05 PM today.  May her memory last, her family persevere and her friends endure this terrible loss.  We'll all have more to write shortly, but for now I'd like to truly praise Susan Estrich.

Catherine Seipp, 49; critic took on Times  —  Catherine Seipp, a writer and media critic who became known in the 1990s for her pointed coverage of the Los Angeles Times in Buzz magazine, has died.  She was 49.  —  Seipp, a nonsmoker who was diagnosed with lung cancer five years ago …

Gore Implores Congress to Save Planet  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Al Gore, who has reversed his political fortunes to become a potential contender in the 2008 presidential race, made an emotional return to Congress Wednesday in an appeal for an even more dramatic rescue—saving the planet.